Profile

Sompong Srakaew is a human rights activist dedicated to defending and protecting the human rights of migrants, particularly of children and women. After several years working in various human rights organizations, he founded the Labour Protection Network Foundation (LPN) in 2004 to address the discrimination against migrant workers in Thailand, to combat human trafficking especially forced labor trafficking and to provide social services and education to marginalized migrant children. Due to his expertise in countering-trafficking, he had a significant role in shaping the Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking Law of 2008.

Award and Accomplishment

– HERO Award for Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery, the United States Government Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (GTIP) (2008)
– Outstanding Social Worker, Pakorn Angsusingh Foundation (2009)
– Outstanding Social Worker, Badge of Honour from Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali of Thailand, Amatyakul Foundation (2012)
– Silver Medal of Honour of Direkgunabhorn during the occasion of the Royal Birthday celebrations (2012)
– Silver Medal (Seventh Class) of the Direkgunabhorn, Royal Decoration (2013)
– Ashoka Fellowship of Thailand (2013)
– “Outstanding Alumni” from Thammasat University (2016)
– Honourary Plaque for the promotion of education for children and youth who are descendants of migrant workers, awarded at the Joint General Meeting between the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Ashoka Foundation (2017)

Working for the Promotion, Protection, and Enforcement of Human Rights

Sompong Srakaew, the founder and CEO of LPN, has implemented working strategies to eliminate injustice and exploitation around the region, defending rights protection mechanisms for Burmese and Cambodian migrants illegally working in Thailand. This work targets those who may be currently experiencing, or at risk of falling prey to, persecution, exploitation, child labour, forced labour and human trafficking. Past operations have focused on issues of human trafficking, yielding positive and clearly visible results for the protection of migrant worker rights. The development of an ‘Action’ model for assisting migrant workers in Thailand’s fishing industry has been used to target both migrants working in local Thai business, and those who work outside Thai waters. To address the root causes of migrant worker abuse and exploitation, it is vital to employ new and innovative thinking, practical implementation strategies, and an active push for policy reform. Finding solutions requires cooperation and engagement with operational and national stakeholders. The key driving motivation rests on the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights and social opportunities, such as access to education and health care, fair working conditions, and migrant rights in Thai society. 

Within the field of social work, the concept of participation is important to develop prototypes for operational models and working strategies. In terms of the education of children without registration status, or transnational children, the Thai government has a policy of openness, and now provides migrant children with access to education. Thailand has sought cooperation with both local and foreign partners in order to encourage Burmese and Cambodian migrant children to attend schools. More than 13,000 migrant children are currently studying in either the mainstream schooling system or in informal education programs, with 4,000 enrolled in formal schools. Education support is also provided to more than 3,000 adult migrants. These programs are aimed at enabling migrant communities to live harmoniously and self-sufficiently within Thai society. When they are given opportunities to develop, migrants can build the skills they need to thrive and improve their situation. This should be a concern for both the private sector and government agencies involved in labour affairs. Also, the consistent assistance provided to migrant workers who suffer from rights abuse and exploitation has helped migrants to escape abusive workplaces. This abuse includes unfair working conditions, forced labour and human trafficking situations, and general insecurity and danger in daily life. About 12,000 workers have received this assistance, as well as some 400 women and children.  

Recent media attention has generated global concern about these issues. This has had an important impact on encouraging action from government agencies, private corporations and companies, as well as on affecting consumer patterns in countries which import Thai products. Assistance has been provided primarily to workers in the shrimp processing industry in the province of Samut Sakhon, particularly between 2008 and 2015. LPN has also conducted rescue missions and assistance projects to help Thai, Burmese, Lao, and Cambodian nationals who have become stranded in remote areas of Indonesia after suffering severe abuse while on Thai fishing vessels. These areas include the islands of Ambon, Dual, and Benjina. The workers stranded in these regions are known colloquially by the Thai term “tok reua,” which translates roughly to “men overboard.” They are also referred to as “severe sufferers.” Many of the victims were repatriated back to their countries of birth during the implementation of LPN’s rescue project, which operated between 2014 and 2016. Nevertheless, today there are still people stuck on islands who experience these problems. More than 2,500 fishing workers from Thailand and other countries who have experienced severe abuse are still in need of assistance to enable them to return to their home countries. The issues and problems outlined above have been a priority for the Thai government. Official agencies have been particularly focused on stopping the trafficking of migrant workers into Thailand. These efforts have been spurred on by the international attention generated by the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) and the strong European Union policies against the practice known as Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU). Moreover, in October 2019 US president Trump has announced the suspension of Thai Trade Preferences on certain products due to the longstanding worker rights abuses in the seafood and shipping industries. It is my expectation that, over the course of 2018, all the various aspects of this complex situation will be greatly improved by the continued networking and cooperative working partnerships that exist between the many different stakeholders, official agencies, and non-government advocates. 

Over a working period of more than 15 years, LPN has established an extensive cooperative network and a strong organizational framework. The production of human capital can help create the social capital that is needed to advocate for change from the grassroots level, and to improve migrant labourer issues in Thailand through official mechanisms and systems.  This is the key factor and driving force in the establishment of sustainable social development. At present, LPN is engaged in a learning exchange of ideas and strategies with various stakeholders in order to ensure resources are used efficiently to provide lasting and productive change. For instance, LPN works with university students and academics, independent and government researchers, policy makers, business organisations, civil society groups in Thailand and abroad, and international NGOs. This engagement involves a process of knowledge transfer and sharing of working models. One of the tangible results of this collaboration is the establishment of communication mechanisms that can receive worker complaints from workers of all nationalities, including complaints of abuse, unfair conditions, forced labour or trafficking. Mr. Sompong Srakaew believes that international problem-solving must stem from a positive and humane concept. Any work done in this vane should be strategical, tangible, accessible and transparent. This process needs to concentrate on the communication of concepts related to social change, and not only in the context of Thai society. The creation of shared public space for transnational populations relies heavily on group collaborative networks that include all levels, from civil society to national policy makers.  

The Migrant Workers Union Network in Thailand (Munt) was established to assist migrants to integrate peacefully into Thai society, and to communicate and promote migrant labour issues to the broader ASEAN community. The ASEAN community must create a space for intellectual exchanges in order to learn and improve strategies to protect vulnerable working populations. If citizens become aware of these issues, a greater value will be afforded to migrant labour rights, and this value will reach businesses, corporations, and employers. The creation of this kind of conscious community encourages the public social exchange of knowledge and understanding between migrants and local Thai populations. Multicultural coexistence and exchange is the fundamental aim of the Migrant Workers Union Network in Thailand (MUNT). The participation, self-reliance, and positive attitudes of Thai communities and migrant labouring populations can create a peaceful, harmonious society, and lead to sustainable social change in the future. 

Another important element is the creation and continued coordination of networks at all levels of society, between the communities of migrant labourers in Thailand, their families, friends and relatives back home, between NGOs and assistance groups in Thailand and neighbouring countries. The campaign to promote these issues must resonate on a local, regional, and international level, reaching countries such as the US, and countries in Europe which import significant quantities of seafood products from Thailand. Such networks are supporting and promoting policies that are conducive to the protection and prevention of labour abuse and human trafficking victims. Protecting migrant worker rights, and the vulnerable populations who may fall prey to abuse and exploitation will encourage the integration of migrants into civil society, allowing them to access education, cultural traditions, and local labouring communities. To address these goals, a world-class network, known as The Multi-stakeholder Initiative for Accountable Supply Chains of Thai Fisheries (MAST) has recently been established to raise awareness of forced labour and human trafficking, particularly among academic scholars. This will encourage the undertaking and publication of studies dealing with these issues. 

Creating and developing a migrant worker volunteer system and a social network for migrant workers in Thailand in the form of MUNT has allowed multilevel exchanges of knowledge, and helped to build happy, close-knit communities that look out for each other. It has encouraged the kind of tolerance and acceptance than makes others incapable of allowing injustice and abuse to fall upon a community member. Volunteer networks are extremely important. The recently established initiative called LPN Myanmar Live Volunteer (LMV)supports volunteers from Samut Sakhon province and surrounding provinces¾which also have significant migrant populations¾to, to volunteer their skills and knowledge to help protect against abuse and exploitation in their communities. These volunteers are put through a screening process to ensure they have a positive attitude and applicable skills. The network also supports hundreds of Burmese volunteers. The volunteers work in groups that relate to religious affairs within the Dhamma School, English-language training, computer skills, and other educational areas. Such groups include multicultural, multilingual, and multi-religious communities, including Mon, Shan, Karen, Kachin, and Cham groups. Magazines have recently been circulated containing important information for migrants. These have been disseminated among thousands of Burmese migrants over the past year. Copies are distributed for free within communities of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon and other relevant provinces. LPN Myanmar Live Volunteer groups work to ensure that these magazines are distributed to as many migrants labourers as possible.